Outsider Chronicles: Strike Magi
by Dis Lexic
Summary: Being reborn into a world of magic is great. Unless you can't use it. Of course, since when has any Outsider obeyed the rules? This should be interesting.
1. Chapter 1

OC: Strike Magi

Being reborn into a world of magic is great. Unless you can't use it. Of course, since when has any Outsider obeyed the rules? This should be interesting.

 **I decided to continue with this story because everything else I'm working on seems to have become extremely stubbon about getting out of my head and onto the page. Lets just hope this doesn't. I love both Strike Witches and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha and have been eager to do a SW story for a while, especially now I'm rewatching it. Enjoy!**

Chapter 1

I bloody hate my life sometimes! The reason I say that is fairly simple, I was dead. Yep, I died getting caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. I won't go into too much detail, but lets just say that I was walking home from the Theater one night after having maybe a tad to much to drink and ended up getting run down by some moron who had had way too much to drink. Lets just say it hurt and leave it at that. However, the reason I'm currently cursing out the fact that I hate my life wasn't because I was dead, no, it was because I had been reborn. Why is that a bad thing? Well, its not so much because I have been reborn, but rather where I had been reborn. No it's not somewhere in the middle east or something, but rather a whole other world. How do I know its another world? Well just bare with me and I'll tell you.

See, while it appeared for all intents and purposes, I had been reborn in my old hometown in rural Derbyshire, there was a few things that set my warning buzzers off. First of, I had yet to hear anyone call Britain Britain, instead referring it to as Britannia. A few other countries had also received the same treatment, such as referring to Spain as Hispania and a few others. However, the actual thing that had made me realize exactly where in the Multiverse I was was the fact that none of the women I had seen were wearing pants. Or skirts. Plus talk of Nuroi and Witches and I quickly figured out that I was somehow now living in an Anime. Aww well, I guess it could be worse.

* * *

Growing up was as normal as could be, for a reincarnated Soul in a world that used to be an Anime at least. I attended school, payed attention to the news and was even able to put my past skills as a writer to use. My family wasn't exactly poor, but we weren't wealthy either, so I decided to see if I could help out, despite my young age of seven. That desire had resulted in me writing a series of books based on the history of my old world, netting me a rather impressive paycheck. I think my parents only went through with my idea to humor me, but they certainly weren't about to complain if it took some of the burden of our struggling finances.

* * *

Two years after my little moneymaker got off the ground, my life was changed forever and not in a way that I had ever expected to be possible, even after being reincarnated. I was making my way home from school one evening when a brilliant flash of light suddenly lit up the area, followed by an explosion as something moving extremely fast slammed into the ground at the side of the road, throwing out a shockwave that knocked me on my ass and threw up a massive cloud of smoke that had me coughing.

"What the hell was that?" I gasped, staggering to my feet, "No way that was a Neuroi attack, not this far inland."

Even so, I kept myself ready to scarper if it turned out I was wrong. However, to my utter shock, the cloud of smoke slowly cleared to reveal a man laying in the bottom of a shallow crater, covered in blood. He had short, black hair with greying temples, a full beard that surrounded his mouth and lightly tanned skin. He was wearing a tattered uniform I didn't recognize, consisting of a long, white coat with black shoulders and lining, white trousers and white, steel toed boots and black fingerless gloves with white commer like markings on the backs.

I slowly approached the man to see if he was alright. As I did, he opened one eye to reveal a grey orb, hazy with pain. He shifted, reaching out a hand to me.

"Help me," he gasped, "Please…"

His arm went limp as he lost consciousness. I immediately rushed to his side and checked his pulse, letting out a sigh of relief when I found that it was still there. He was alive, but badly hurt. Not for the first time, I cursed my weak, 10 year old body as there was no way I could carry him. Fortunately, I wasn't far from home and (conveniently) my Dad was a doctor. I dropped my bag and sprinted in the direction of home.

* * *

"DAD!" I shouted as I burst into my house.

"Whoa there Alex, wheres the fire?" asked my Dad, sticking his head out of his office.

My Dad, Henry Evans, was a man in his early 30s with slicked back, red hair, a full mustache and blue eyes that I had inherited. He was a highly intelligent and very kind man, which made him very good at his job as a doctor. He'd served as a Military Doctor for years until an injury sustained while helping evacuate wounded soldiers had forced him to retire, returning to Britannia to open a small practice in his hometown of Cokeworth in the Peak District.

"Dad, I need help," I said, "I found a man, hurt on the…"

That was as far as I got before Dad vanished back into his office, reemerging a moment later with a bag in his hand.

"Lead the way son," he said.

I did as I was told, hurrying back to the injured man. When we reached him, Dad immediately knelt down next to him and began checking him over. Once that was done, he opened his bag and started bandaging up his wounds.

"How is he Dad?" I asked.

"Hes hurt, but nothing life threatening," said Dad, "He does have a concussion and seems to be suffering from blood loss and exhaustion, but he should be fine with a bit of rest. Come on, lets get him back to the clinic."

He handed me his bag and hoisted the man up onto his shoulder and started carrying him in the direction of home. I was about to follow when a small flash of light caught my eye. I looked and saw that it was a small, white gem shaped like a magatama on the end of a length of twine. Thinking it was the mans, I picked it up, only to drop it again with a yelp as it shocked me. It was just a static shock, but I swear I felt something shoot up my arm and into my chest.

"Alex? Is something wrong?" asked Dad.

"No," I said, "Nothing, just a static shock."

"Well then, come one," said Dad, "I need to get him somewhere he can rest."

I nodded and grabbed the pendant again, not getting shocked this time, and hurried after Dad.

* * *

The man remained unconscious for the rest of the day, waking up the next day at some point while I was at school. When I arrived home and stuck my head into the room we'd put him in, he was sitting up and being fussed over by my Mother, Rose. She was a couple of years younger than Dad, having had me shortly after she had been discharged from the Strike Witches due to reasons of weakening Magic at just 19. She had long, blond hair she'd passed onto me (the blond, not the long) and emerald green eyes that always sparked with life.

"Hello Alex," said Mum, "Did you have a good day at school?"

"Yep," I said, giving Mum a hug before turning to the man I'd helped, "You look better, how are you feeling?"

"Much better thank you," said the man, "I understand I have you to thank for helping me, correct?"

I nodded.

"Yes, I found you and got my Dad to help."

"I see, in that case, I am in your debt," said the man, "My name is Gil Graham by the way."

I cocked my head on one side. That name sounded oddly familiar, although I couldn't put my finger on where I had heard it before.

"Alexander Evans," I said, "Oh, by the way, I think this is yours."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out the pendent I had found.

"Yes, it is," he said, taking the gem, "Thank you…"

He trailed off as he looked down at the gem that seemed to be pulsing faintly.

"Huh, thats interesting," he muttered.

"Er, whats interesting?" I asked.

"Oh, nothing," said Gil, "Thank you for returning this."

I nodded and turned to leave the room.

"Mum, I'm going to go do my homework," I said.

"OK, tea in an hour," she said.

I headed upstairs and flopped down in my desk chair, leaning back to stare up at the ceiling. Why did the name Gil Graham sound so familiar? I held up a hand in front of my face and flexed my fingers, causing a slight nimbus of blue light to appear around the digits. Like I previously mentioned, Mum was a Witch and I had inherited that power from her. Of course, I couldn't use it for much more than a slight glow around my body and that was a lot more than most males who possessed Magic could do. Despite the general belief that only women could use magic, the truth was that Men could have the Gift as well, they just couldn't draw out the power as easily or at all in most cases. It was actually kinda frustrating to know that I was in a world where magic existed, only to be completely unable to use it.

I let out a huff and rocked forwards, grabbing my bag and snagging my homework planner. Might as well do what I told Mum I was doing rather than mope.

* * *

Three days later, Gil was well enough to leave.

"Thanks for all the help," he said, shaking Dads hand, "Without your help, I don't know what would have happened."

"It was no problem," said Dad, "I was just doing my job."

Gil nodded, before turning to me.

"Thanks to you as well Kid," he said, "Here, I want you to have this."

He held out the pendent I had found.

"But isn't this valuable?" I asked.

"It is, but not in the way you think," said Gil, "When you need help to defend yourself and others, it will help you."

"Whats that supposed to mean?"

Gil just smiled.

"You'll see," he said.

With one last handshake and a wave, the strange man turned and headed up the garden path and out the gate, where he was met by two young girls with brown hair wearing black and grey uniforms. I looked down at the gem and frowned. There was something very strange about this thing, but I couldn't put my finger on why. It felt almost like the gem was...pleased? But that didn't make any sense at all.

* * *

It would be three years until the day came that I figured out why Gil and the gem seemed so familiar to me. We had gone down to the coast to visit family when it happened. We had just disembarked from the train and were making our way to our to our accommodation when a loud siren suddenly started up.

"That can't be good," I deadpanned.

Mum just gave me a deadpan look and grabbed my hand.

"Come on, we need to get to a shelter," she said, "The Air Force will probably deal with it before it gets close enough to do any damage, but we should still hurry."

"Right," said Dad and I as we followed the signs to the nearest shelter.

However, we had only gone a few steps before a bolt of red light suddenly shot out of the sky and obliterated a building. Everyone looked up to see the menacing black shape of a Neuroi, weapon patches already glowing for another shot. A second later, it fired, sending a wave of red bolts straight down, vaporizing buildings and people alike. The effect was immediate and the crowds panicked, stampeding towards the shelters. Almost immediately, I was separate from my parents as a big man slammed into me, sending me flying.

"Ow, that hurt," I grumbled, getting to my feet.

I couldn't see my Parents amid the crush of people, so I allowed the crowd to sweep me up and carry me in the direction of the shelters.

I was just reaching the entrance of the shelter, much to my relief, when a loud voice suddenly cut through the panicked screams and occasional explosions that filled the air.

"LYNNE!"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice to see a slightly plump woman reaching towards a girl my age who looked like she had been knocked over by the crush. She was holding her leg and it was apparent that she was hurt. I hesitated. Safety was just a few feet away, but if I went into the shelter, the girl could die. It was clear that she couldn't move and once the shelters doors shut, they wouldn't open until the alert was lifted.

"Alex, hurry up!" shouted Mum from the door.

I glanced back at the door where my parents were stood just inside the shelter. There was a moment where I was sorely tempted to just forget the fallen girl and get to the shelter. However, I had never been able to leave someone who needed help. It was an outlook that had got me in trouble in the past, but I had never changed. Not even after death.

"Don't you dare!" shouted Mum, apparently seeing what I was planning.

I ignored her and turned on my heel, making use of my small size to weave between the crowd until I reached the girl, who was in tears.

"Hey there," I said, "Need a hand?"

The girl looked up at me through terrified, dark blue eyes as I crouched down next to her and gently probed her injured foot, making her flinch with a squeak.

"Looks like its sprained," I said, "You won't be walking on this for a while."

I glanced around. Most the the crowd had managed to get inside the shelter and I could see that the doors were starting to close. We only had a few more moments to get inside or we'd be stuck. I turned around and glanced back at the girl.

"Come on," I said, "Grab ahold. Hurry up, we don't have much time."

The girl hesitantly put her arms around my neck and I hoisted her up, running in the direction of the shelter.

I was just a few yards away from the door when some deep rooted instinct told me to stop. I did, just in time to avoid a blast from the Neuroi that carved a deep gouge in the pavement and would have vaporized me and the girl on my back had it hit. As it was, the resulting explosion blew us back and through the front window of a shop that had, fortunately, already been blown out. I twisted us so that I would cushion the landing as we collided with a pile of broken manikins with a crash. Fortunately, they were padded and the clothing scattered around also served to soften the landing.

"Ohh, thats gonna leave a mark," I groaned, shoving a manikin off me, "Hey, are you…"

I glanced down at the girl, only to find that the impact had knocked her out.

"Welp, thats not good," I said, "Guess we ought to find some cover before…"

WWAP!

A beam of red light sliced straight through the ceiling.

"That happens!" I yelped, scooping up the girl and sprinting out of the building as it started coming down, "Its times like this I wish I could use magic properly!"

The small part of me that wasn't busy either panicking or trying to figure out a plan to get out of this horrible situation noticed that the pendent I was wearing heated up slightly.

I continued to run through the streets, doing my best to stay undercover and find a place to hunker down until the Strike Witches could arrive, but whether through bad luck or some intelligence no one credited the Neuroi with, the attacking alien kept firing shots that just barely missed us.

"I can't...keep...this...up," I gasped as I rounded a corner.

Those words proved to be prophetic as my foot caught on a loose bit of masonry, sending me and my burden flying, landing on the hard concrete with a crash.

"OK, that hurt," I groaned, pushing myself up.

I glanced over my shoulder to see where the Neuroi was, only for my blood to run cold as I saw the weapon patches powering up for another shot. While it was impossible to actually see where the damn thing was aiming, something told me that one of those blasts was aimed at the girl and I. And this time, there was no way I could move before it fired, not after spending the last ten minutes playing hide and seek.

"Damn it!" I hissed, punching the ground, before looking over at the still unconscious girl, "Sorry I couldn't save you."

I didn't really mind dying, I'd done it once already after all, but the idea of someone so young being killed in such a way made me wish I could have done more. I heard the Neuroi fire and closed my eyes.

" **Defencer."**

My eyes snapped back open again as I felt something inside me surge to the surface at the same time as a large, round, dark blue barrier appeared behind me, just in time to shield me and the girl from the Neuroi's attack.

"The hell?" I gasped as the shield faded, "How did I…?"

I glanced down at my pendent, which was now glowing faintly.

"Wait a moment," I said, "Was that…?"

Suddenly, the reason Gil seemed so familiar to me slammed into me with the force of a freight train and I resisted the urge to slam my head into a wall.

"Now I get it," I groaned, "That actually explains a lot…"

I looked up to see the Neuroi preparing for another attack.

"Looks like I don't have time for moping," I said, getting to my feet and taking off my pendent, "Now, how do I activate this thing?"

The gem gleamed.

" **Acknowledged command, Initial setup initiated,"** it said, **"Experimental Intelligent Device unit Alpha now online. ALERT, *REDACTED* INOPERABLE UNTIL CONDITIONS MET."**

"Huh, thats interesting," I said, "Guess I'll have to find out about that later. Anyway, lets get this party started. Tell me what to do Alpha."

" **Scanning...Barrier Jacket online...Active form found, now activating."**

My clothes glowed briefly and were replaced by a long, black coat with white shoulders and lining, black trousers and black, steel toed boots and white fingerless gloves with black Magatama on the backs. The gem flew up and metal began to appear around it, quickly combining into a white metal staff with a black head shaped like the commer with a hole in the largest part where a round, white gem sat. A pair of short nodes stuck out at an angle behind the head.

"Heh, thats cool," I said with a grin as I felt my magic flow free for the first time in my life.

Another barrier sprang into existence as the Neuroi fired again.

"Hey Alpha, any chance we can do something about that thing?" I asked.

" **Acknowledged, sniping mode active."**

The head of the staff glowed and seemed to come apart, reforming into what looked like the butt of a sniper rifle as the butt of the staff morphed into the barrel.

"O...K, thats interesting," I said, flipping the gun over as a scope formed on the shaft.

" **Alpha unit designated as sniping/bombardment Device,"** said Alpha, **"Sniping Mode designed for long, accurate distance fire. Device form meant for close ranged combat and Bombardment Type spells."**

"Fair enough," I said, "Now, lets take out this Neuroi."

I knelt down and lifted my Device, taking aim at the slow moving Neuroi through the scope. The scope was clearly far more advanced than anything this world had (although the early 1900 level of technology meant that that wasn't really that hard) as it quickly scanned the Neuroi and located its core.

" **Target locked, Spell charging beginning."**

I felt the magic inside me begin to swirl, gathering at the tip of the barrel in the form of a slowly growing orb of light, surrounded by spinning rings of runes.

" **Charge, ready."**

"Fire."

I squeezed the trigger. With a mighty roar and a huge blast of force that nearly blew me onto my back, the spell fired, creating a lance of energy as thick around as my waist that passed straight through the Neuroi as if it wasn't even there, leaving it hanging in the air with a gaping hole where its middle and core used to be. A second later, it exploded, sending countless glimmering shards scattering all over the town. I let out a sigh of relief as the prongs on the guns hammer should have been extended, releasing a hiss of steam. A moment later, a wave of exhaustion the likes of which I had never felt before washed over me, making me waver.

"Ooooh, I think I used too much Magic," I groaned, putting a hand on my head as I fell on my behind.

" **Affirmative, recommend restraint next time,"** said Alpha.

I could have sworn I heard disapproval in the Device's tone. If so, that AI sure is impressive.

"I kinda hope there isn't a next time," I slurred, "Ohh man, I think I'm gonna pass out."

I felt my Barrier Jacket and Device fade along with my consciousness, just as the streaks from Striker Units crossed the sky. Better late than never I guess.

 **And thats the end of this entry. Hope you all liked it! I honestly don't have anything to say here, so lets just sign off. Please leave a review.**


	2. Chapter 2

OC: Strike Magi

Being reborn into a world of magic is great. Unless you can't use it. Of course, since when has any Outsider obeyed the rules? This should be interesting.

 **So we're back. Nothing really to add here from the prior chapter, so lets dive straight in. Enjoy!**

Chapter 2

I let out a groan at consciousness slowly returned. My entire body ached and I felt like I'd gone ten rounds in the ring with someone using me as a punching bag. The odd empty feeling in my chest certainly didn't help. I tried to open my eyes, only to find they were gummed shut. I let out another groan as I slowly forced my eyes open. For a moment, all I could see was a brown blur. I blinked and it resolved itself into a pair of green eyes inches away from my own.

"GYAHH!"

CRASH!

I jerked back from the eyes, only to find myself tumbling out of bed to land on the tiled floor with a crash.

"Ow…" I deadpanned.

"Nyahaha, nice reaction kid!" said the owner of the eyes as she crouched down next to me.

I opened one eye to glare at her. She was a pretty young woman with short, light brown hair and dark green eyes. She was wearing a black and grey uniform I had never seen before.

"Don't you think that was a little mean Lotte?" asked another voice.

I tilted my head to see another woman, identical to the first, apparently called Lotte, with the only difference between the two being the second one had longer hair. She was sat in the chair next to the bed with her cheek resting on her fist.

"Aw come on Aria, you can't deny that his reaction wasn't he-larious," said Lotte.

I let out a growl and hooked my foot around Lottes ankle. Lotte let out a yelp as her feet were suddenly yanked out from under her, dumping her on the floor. There was a moment's silence, before Aria burst out laughing.

"AHAHAH, now that was funny," she said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Glad you're entertained," I said, pulling myself to my feet and scrambling back into bed, "Now who are you?"

"We're the Liese twins, Lotte and Aria," said Aria, "We work for Gil."

"You know, the guy who gave you Alpha?" said Lotte.

"I got it," I said, "So, exactly why are you two here?"

"Well, Fathers been keeping an eye on you since he left," said Lotte, "Since Alpha reacted to you, he knew that it was only a matter of time before you activated it."

"We didn't expect you to adapt to it so quickly though," said Aria, "That spell you used was off the charts in power."

"Yeah, but it also tapped me out," I said, "I won't be doing that again."

"Thats probably a good idea," said Aria, "You nearly ruptured your Linker Core."

"That would have been...bad," said Lotte, "Both for you and everyone around you."

"I'll believe you," I said.

Just then, a knock came from the door and the Liese twins vanished into thin air as the door opened to reveal a man in scrubs and a lab coat.

"Ah good, you're awake," he said, "Your parents have been quite worried about you young man."

"Joy," I muttered, "Mums gonna chew me out."

"Thats the impression I got," said the Doctor, "Still, you did a very brave thing, protecting that girl like you did."

"You heard about that?" I asked.

"Son, the whole towns heard about it," said the Doctor, pulling out a penlight and sitting down next to my bed, "You're something of a local hero right now after saving Mrs Bishops daughter."

"That so?" I said as the Doctor started on a number of tests.

"Yep," said the Doctor, "Well, you seem to be in perfect health, other than some rather impressive bruises. Are you feeling up to having visitors?"

I sighed.

"Better to get this over with," I said.

"Right ho, I'll let them know," he said, leaving the room.

Once the Doctor was gone, the air shimmered and the Twins reappeared.

"You snuck in here, didn't you?" I asked.

"Well, Father wanted to know that you were OK and this was the quickest way," said Lotte as Aria opened the window, "We'll be back later with Father. See ya kid!"

She grabbed me in a tight hug, dragging my face between her breasts, before skipping over to the window and jumping out after her sibling, leaving me blushing brightly and grumbling about irritating Catgirls. It took a minute for me to get my blood flow back under control, just as the door to my room slammed open and I found myself grabbed into a tight embrace as Mum came pelting into the room. She frantically checked me over, as if to make sure I was still (mostly) in one piece. Once she was done with that, she let me fall back onto my pillows and stepped back, hands on her hips and a glower on her face. I gulped and braced myself for the incoming explosion.

"ALEXANDER HENRY EVANS!"

* * *

It took ten minutes for Mum to vent her anger, although I'm pretty sure that she devolved into pure gibberish at one point. Not that that stopped me from coming out of it thoroughly chastised and with ringing ears. All throughout the tongue lashing, Dad kept well out of the way lest Mum turn her anger on him. Once Mum had calmed down and left the room in a huff to calm down, Dad sat down next to my bed and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I'm proud of you son," he said, "So's your Mother, even if she won't say it. We're not happy that you risked your life like that, but you came out alive and managed to save her, so there really isn't any reason not to be proud. Just don't do something that stupid again."

"Oh don't worry, I won't," I said, "By the way, what happened with the Neuroi?"

I knew of course, I want that badly hurt, but I wanted to know if I could expect to be hauled off to war or if I'd get some time to build up my Magic on my own terms.

"We're not sure," said Dad, "The official story is that the Strike Witches were able to destroy it, but your Mother was able to find out that it was actually destroyed shortly before they arrived. What actually did it isn't, other than it used a massively powerful spell unlike anything that has been seen before."

I resisted the urge to sigh with relief. While I didn't really have anything against helping out the Witches, I'd kinda like some time to adapt to my Magic before being thrown into a war thank you very much.

"Did you see anything?" asked Dad, "The Witches said that they found you in roughly the same area as the spell came from."

I shook my head.

"No, I must have been knocked out before the spell was cast," I said.

Dad gave me a sceptical look, but before he could comment, there was a knock at the door, that opened to reveal a woman who looked about 20 with dark blue eyes and light brown hair, worn long and lose. She was wearing a leather jacket over a white shirt, a red scarf and red and dark red striped stockings.

I gulped as I suddenly found myself pinned to the bed by a set of sharp eyes that seemed to be sizing me up.

"Huh, I thought you'd be taller," said the woman after a moment.

And just like that, all the tension in my body vanished as I stared at her incredulously.

"What does my height have to do with anything?"

The woman shrugged.

"Nothing much," she said with a grin, "I'm Wilma Bishop by the way. Thanks for saving my Sister."

"Eh?"

"That girl you saved during the Neuroi attack."

"Ah, right," I mumbled while rubbing my temples in an attempt to stave off the sudden headache I was afflicted with.

I knew that girl had looked familiar, but I was more focused on trying to keep us from going the same way as extras in the War of the World's so I hadn't really had chance to consider why. Now I knew. Apparently I had saved the life of a future member of the Strike Witches and best friend of the main character. Although I suppose that I'm technically the main character now… But I digress.

"How is she by the way?" I asked, "It looked like she hurt her leg pretty badly and I doubt all the running and getting thrown around did much good."

"She's fine," said Wilma, "A bit shook up, but fine. She'll probably come and thank you herself once she can walk."

"Thats a relief," I said.

"You know, we could use men like you in the Military," said Wilma, "Ever thought of enlisting when you're older?"

"I refuse to answer that on the grounds that Mum's already chewed me out once today," I deadpanned, much to Dad's amusement if his quiet chuckling was anything to go by.

"Fair enough," said Wilma, who was also smirking, "Anyway, I need to go. I got a report to file about the attack."

She grimaced and waved as she headed out the door.

"I need to go too," said Dad, "The Doctors say you should be alright to leave tomorrow, they just want to keep you in for observation. Do you need anything?"

"Nah, not if its just for tonight," I said, "Dad, could you tell Mum that I'm sorry for worrying her?"

"Sure thing Son," said Dad, ruffling my hair with a smile, "Sleep well."

I batted Dads hand away with a fake glare, making him laugh as he exited the room. Now alone, I let myself fall back against my pillows and stared up at the ceiling. Lets recap. Yesterday I saved the future sharpshooter of the Strike Witches from a flying, laser shooting alien using a form of Magic from another world and a Focus I got from a man from Earth. I shook my head. My life is utterly insane.

"Whatcha thinkin bout?"

"GAH!"

I nearly jumped out of my skin. Apparently I was more distracted than I thought because I had somehow missed the door opening and the Liese twins and Gil entering the room. Well, either that or they had teleported in which wasn't entirely off the cards.

"Do you take pleasure from scaring the life out of people?" I growled.

Lotte just gave a catty grin.

"Alright Lotte, thats enough," said Gil, putting a hand on the girls head.

"Sorry Father," she mumbled, backing off to join her sister.

"Father?" I asked, "They don't look like your daughters."

"Its a long story," said Gil, "One I'll be happy to tell another time. How are you feeling?"

"Like something changed me around a city for half an hour, periodically blowing me through walls," I said, "Next stupid question?"

Gil chuckled.

"Alright, no need for the sarcasm," he said, "I understand that you activated Alpha, correct?"

"Yep," I said, "Now do you mind filling me in?"

Gil let out a huff and sat in the chair next to my bed.

"Where to begin," he mumbled.

"From the beginning is usually a good start," I said.

Gil smiled thinly, but lent forwards and began his tale. Most of what he told me I already knew, Devices, the TSAB, Magic, Linker Cores etc. Then the conversation turned to my Device.

"That gem I gave you is actually Alpha, an experimental Device that was designed to allow even a Mage with low Mana reserves to cast high level Bombardment spells," said Gil, "It didn't work, but that doesn't stop it from being a very effective Device. If we can find a suitable wielder for it."

"Why would that be a problem?" I asked.

"Alpha is equipped with an advanced AI algorithm," said Gil, "Out of all of the Intelligent Devices, it is the closest to true Intelligence, rather than a good approximation. That has lead to it developing a rather specific set of criteria for a wielder. I was surprised when it reacted to you so strongly."

"So what now?" I asked after a short pause, "Are you going to press me into service or something?"

"Good lord, of course not!," said Gil, looking horrified at the very idea, "You are just a child and even if you were an adult, the TSAB would never force someone into service. We are a peacekeeping force, not an army. I will offer you training though, as well as an offer for a job serving under me, should you decide to take it."

I remained silent, staring down at my hands. This...was actually a great opportunity. Not only would I get to learn magic, which was an idea that nearly had my inner Fantasy geek drooling, but the idea of working for an organization that spanned Space and Time was one that was remarkably tempting. Plus, I could use that training to make a difference in the war with the Neuroi.

"If I agree to this training, would I be able to use it to help out with the War here?" I asked slowly.

"Of course," said Gil, "Your magic is your own and this world isn't under the jurisdiction of the TSAB anyway. We would step in if you started doing something that put this and other worlds in danger or started committing mass murder."

"Thats fair enough I guess," I said, still deep in thought.

I could probably figure out how to use my magic on my own, given enough time, but with a teacher it would be so much easier. In the end, the choice was obvious. I looked up at Gil, who had a slight smirk on his face as if he had no doubt what I'd decided.

"I'll do it," I said, "Please train me."

 **And I'm going to end it there. I hope you liked this entry. Next time, Alex heads of to Earth for some training. I probably won't cover all of it since its going to be a total of three years and I want to get onto the actual Strike Witches canon sometime this century.**

 **You know how in the Vault Entry version of Chapter one how I said that this story has nothing to do with Harry Potter? Well, I'm making my past self a liar. Its not going to be anything massive like Alex going to Hogwarts or anything, but lets just say that Gil lives somewhere that'll be quite familiar. As an added bonus, I'm playing with the idea of alternate worlds. Eagle eyed readers may be able to figure out what I mean by that.**

 **And with that, I'm done. Please leave me a review!**


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